In the past, solar energy concentrating systems used a variety of approaches for handling a failure in a fluid transfer system which circulates a fluid heated by reflected solar energy. For example, a commercially available system in the 1980's had a stationary reflected solar energy collector with an interior conduit for the solar-heated fluid. A moveable, solar energy concentrating reflector was disposed below the stationary solar energy collector so as to place the solar energy collector within a predetermined focal collection zone. A means for positioning the reflector was connected to the reflector. Reflected solar energy impinged upon the solar energy collector, heating the fluid inside the interior conduit. A fluid transfer system moved the heated fluid to either an energy storage means or a thermal energy use means.
If there was a failure in the fluid transfer system, then the reflector was moved out of the focal collection zone by the positioning means. Such a failure was detected by a temperature sensor means located within the fluid path. This arrangement worked fine, so long as there was power to the positioning means, and there was no failure in the positioning means. However, in these events, the solar energy collector remained in the optimum spot within the focal collection zone. The dangerous heating of the energy transfer fluid while stagnant resulted in a catastrophic failure in the fluid transfer system.